Posted in: Movies, Netflix | Tagged: wake up dead man

Rian Johnson Wants Wake Up Dead Man In "As Many Theaters As Possible"

The co-CEO of Netflix said the theatrical experience is an "outdated concept," but Wake Up Dead Man director Rian Johnson very much disagrees.

It seems one of the higher-ups at Netflix is sticking his foot directly into his mouth yet again. Recently, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos called movie theaters and the idea of making "movies on a gigantic screen and have strangers watch them and play in the theater for two months and people cry and sold-out shows.' It just doesn't happen anymore. It's an outdated concept." He says this while also signing deals to get The Chronicles of Narnia onto IMAX screens, so who knows what these people actually know? However, Netflix wants to court top-tier talent who don't just work on streamers, and Sarandos's comments are a good way of alienating some of those people. One of the directors they managed to court already, but who has been vocal about the streamers' relationship with theaters, is Rian Johnson. Johnson has advocated for a theatrical release for Glass Onion, and he's doing the same for Wake Up Dead Man later this year. Johnson told Business Insider, "I want this in as many theaters for as long as possible. We're going to push for everything we can get in terms of theatrical because I want as many people as possible to see it in that form."

As Johnson advocates for Wake Up Dead Man, he is pushing back on the narrative that the theatrical experience is dead while also giving the guy signing the checks the benefit of the doubt. When asked if he agrees with Sarandos's statement, Johnson replied, "Obviously I don't, because I love movies. I love going to see movies." However, he's also keenly aware of how a few sentences can be misinterpreted into something else, and he gives Sarandos the benefit of the doubt regarding the quote and very much believes the theatrical experience isn't going anywhere.

"But also, I have a feeling talking to Ted, it would be a different thing than one quote taken and kind of tossed at me in this context," Johnson continued. "So, I don't want to phrase this as I'm having a proxy discussion with Ted right here. I think theatrical is not going anywhere. I think we've seen if you put a movie people want to see in the theaters, they are going to show up for it, and that experience of being in a full house and having that experience is so important. It's something that I love and I want more of in the world."

There have been reports going around that ever since the IMAX deal for The Chronicles of Narnia became public, directors working with Netflix have been getting louder about asking why their movie isn't getting the same treatment. Of course, every director believes their film is the exception that Netflix should make and give it a theatrical run. Wake Up Dead Man is going to have some sort of theatrical release, but if we're following the timeline Glass Onion did, then there's a good chance it might be for a week. Why they can't release the film in theaters at the end of November and keep it there until it releases on Netflix at the end of December is beyond me.

Wake Up Dead Man Features Another Impressive Cast

We knew that a Knives Out film would be coming out on Netflix for a while, and we learned in May 2024 that the film, titled Wake Up Dead Nan: A Knives Out Mystery, would be going into production. However, aside from that, we knew very little until May. Director and writer Rian Johnson took the time to his official X/Twitter to share the logo and official title of the film. They are still keeping that "A Knives Out Mystery" part even though Johnson has said that he doesn't like it, and he revealed that they were "very close" to entering production. In mid-August, Johnson confirmed that production on the new Knives Out film had wrapped.

Johnson said during the announcement, "I love everything about whodunnits, but one of the things I love most is how malleable the genre is. There's a whole tonal spectrum from Carr to Christie, and getting to explore that range is one of the most exciting things about making Benoit Blanc movies." So far, new cast members include Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church, with Daniel Craig reprising his role. Wake Up Dead Man will be released sometime in fall 2025.

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